First Grade...so far.

My own memories of first grade are pretty basic. Mrs. Thayne. Cindy Lauper (my Halloween costume). Winning a ribbon for the obstacle course at Field Day. My mom was PTA President. I broke my arm on the monkey bars. Pretty basic. Nothing stressful. Life was good.

So, here we are. First grade for I&M. Well, it turns out that first grade is a whole other world these days. News flash for me, the mom.

Things started out hunky dory. The kids are at our neighborhood school (which, if you live in a district that does not offer the "school of choice" option or does not complicate things with charter schools then you do not know what a controversial choice we made). Spencer and I stood on our soapbox (okay, mostly me) and pontificated about the mix of students at our school, about the need for involved parents, the dangers of self-segregation etc. etc.

Then school started. And things were tough. Really tough. There are 27 students in their class and one adult. The kids are from diverse and sometimes very challenging backgrounds. Funding keeps getting cut. Their teacher is great but she is a very new teacher, still making her way and determing what works best for her. And there are 27 of them. Did I mention that?

New school clothes and new backpacks. Isabel had her outfit layed out for 24 hours before. Shocker right?

The first few weeks were loud. Make that LOUD. And chaotic. And...hard. Isabel really struggled. Going to full day was a big change. Her vision had changed--and not for the better. She came home crying almost every single day. Crying.

Then I was crying. And she was struggling. And I was calling Grami Tami (first grade teacher and literacy expert) every.single.day. And the pediatrician. And the eye doctor (who is a complete saint as far as I am concerned). And meeting with her teacher at least once a week.

Isabel has always had some difficulty with sensory stuff--too loud, too hot, too crowded etc.. Well, it turns out that the changes in her vision had made it too difficult for her to shift focus from far (the whiteboard) to near (her desk) and was causing her vision to be distorted or blurry much of the time. That combined with the noise and activity level in the class was just too much.

Milo is a total school lover. He loves every subject. He loves every teacher. He loves lunch. He loves recess. He has some cutie friends from soccer in his class. He loves to read. He wants to be in science club. And chess club. And pretty much every other club.

Things have slowly gotten better. Her teacher was very attentive and responsive. I was in the classroom twice a week. She is now in bifocals. The class is quieter. And, did I mention Grami Tami? Lifesaver.

Watching your normally super resilient child struggle that much is painful. It was a tough six weeks and I am very, very happy to be on the other side of it. It's still a work in progress but things are much improved.

This is her "Ramona" pose. Remember when Ramona's shoe got eaten by a dog on the way to school? And she had to lead the pledge? She stood like this. What a goofball.

It should be noted that having a brand new super twirly skirt made by that same Grami Tami will make the first day of school pretty darn exciting. :)

Yearly tradition: cupcakes or cake the night before school starts.